COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 3 South Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena on Sunday, Dec. 14, to host Penn State in its final home game before the holiday break. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, with national coverage on ESPN.
Gameday Details
Doors Open: 2:30 p.m. (2:00 p.m. for Fast Break Pass holders)
Team Snapshots
South Carolina Gamecocks (9-1)
Head Coach: Dawn Staley
Leading Scorer: Joyce Edwards (19.4 ppg)
Leading Rebounder: Madina Okot (11.1 rpg)
Penn State Lady Lions (6-3)
Head Coach: Carolyn Kieger
Leading Scorer: Gracie Merkle (22.3 ppg)
Leading Rebounder: Gracie Merkle (8.0 rpg)
Gamecock Notables
South Carolina’s efficiency has been a defining theme this season. The Gamecocks are shooting 53.0 percent from the field — fourth-best in the nation — which has naturally reduced some offensive rebounding opportunities. Even so, they still rank eighth nationally in offensive rebounding percentage, collecting 44.1 percent of their own misses.
According to Her Hoop Stats, South Carolina is averaging 1.03 points per play and 1.20 points per scoring attempt, both the highest marks of the Dawn Staley era and sixth-best nationally.
Transition play has been another major strength. The Gamecocks are second in the country with 24.5 fast-break points per game, while holding opponents to just 7.0 fast-break points defensively.
Preseason AP All-American Ta’Niya Latson remains central to the offense, accounting for 28.2 percent of South Carolina’s production. She averages 17.8 points per game (eighth in the SEC) and adds another 7.6 points per game created off her 3.3 assists (15th in the league). Her season includes three 20-point performances and a 30-point outing, highlighted by career-best shooting numbers of .538 overall (10th SEC) and .542 from three-point range.
Senior Madina Okot leads the nation with seven double-doubles and is pacing the SEC with 11.1 rebounds per game, a figure that ranks 10th nationally. Her 15-rebound effort at then-No. 8/10 Southern Cal on Nov. 15 was the most by a Gamecock against a ranked opponent since Kamilla Cardoso grabbed 17 boards in the 2024 national championship game.
Junior guard Tessa Johnson has been one of the country’s most accurate shooters, ranking 19th nationally by hitting 48.8 percent from beyond the arc. She is the only SEC player ranked among the league’s top 15 in both three-point percentage (2nd) and overall field goal percentage (14th, .511).
Leading scorer Joyce Edwards continues to produce at a high level, ranking third in the SEC and 29th nationally at 19.4 points per game. She has already matched her freshman total with five 20-point games this season. Edwards also ranks eighth in the SEC in field goal percentage (.577), is second on the team in rebounding at 6.1 per game, and has shown improved playmaking, averaging 3.6 assists over the last five games.
By the Numbers
3 — Three different Gamecocks have earned SEC and/or USBWA Player of the Week honors in the season’s first five weeks.
48.0 — Over the last five games, South Carolina has averaged 48.0 points in the paint, accounting for 53.0 percent of its total scoring.
98.6 — The Gamecocks have won 98.6 percent of their home games at Colonial Life Arena over the past five seasons.
Series History: Penn State
South Carolina holds a 4–6 all-time record against Penn State, including a 1–3 mark during the Dawn Staley era. The teams have not faced each other since the 2011–12 season.
Four of the 10 meetings have taken place in Columbia, where the series is split 2–2. The most recent matchup ended in a 55–50 win for then-No. 11 Penn State at Colonial Life Arena on Nov. 20, 2011. South Carolina’s last victory in the series came on Nov. 22, 2009, a 63–56 home win.
Ranking Review
South Carolina enters the weekend ranked No. 3 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches’ Poll.
The Gamecocks have now appeared in the AP top 10 for 123 consecutive polls dating back to the 2019–20 preseason rankings — the longest active streak and the eighth-longest in poll history. Their 254 straight appearances in the AP Poll, beginning Dec. 10, 2012, are the second-longest active streak nationally and tied for the sixth-longest all-time.
In the USA Today/WBCA Coaches’ Poll, South Carolina has remained in the top 10 since debuting at No. 10 in the 2019–20 preseason poll.
Block Party
Since capturing their first national title in 2017, the Gamecocks have been one of the nation’s elite shot-blocking teams. They have finished in the top 15 nationally in blocks per game every season since, leading the country four times and finishing second twice. Their block percentage has topped the nation in three different seasons.
This year, South Carolina ranks fourth nationally with 7.2 blocks per game, including 4.3 per game against ranked opponents. Opponents have had 17.3 percent of their two-point attempts blocked — also fourth-best in the country, per Her Hoop Stats.
Individually, Madina Okot leads the way with 1.7 blocks per game (fifth in the SEC), while Joyce Edwards adds 1.5 per contest (eighth in the league). Gamecock guards have chipped in as well, combining for 2.5 blocks per game.
